Sara Alidoust
Source: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/25439 Parent: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/44989
Dr
Sara Alidoust
Email: : s.alidoust@uq.edu.au
Phone: : +61 7 336 56671
Positions
Affiliate of Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing : Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing : Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Affiliate of Centre of Architecture, Theory, Culture, and History : Centre of Architecture, Theory, Culture and History : Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Senior Lecturer in Planning : School of Architecture, Design and Planning : Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Overview
Background
My research centers on the intersections of Urban Planning and Public Health, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and practical application. I deliver transdisciplinary solutions to some of the most compelling challenges of our time, 'housing equity' and 'healthy cities'. My work stands out through the application of Systems Thinking to complex planning issues and I explore the connections between planning and the physical, mental, and social health of individuals and communities. My primary focus is on developing resilient cities, capable of maintaining their liveability over time, especially amidst disruptive events and shocks.
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Availability
Dr Sara Alidoust is: : Available for supervision : Media expert
Fields of research
Built Environment and Design Urban and regional planning
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University
Research interests
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Planning for Social Sustainability and Community Wellbeing
Read more Read less - #### Planning Resilient and liveable Cities
Read more Read less - #### Age-Friendly Planning
Read more Read less - #### Housing Vulnerability and Informal Housing in the Global North
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Research impacts
My research findings significantly contribute to translating knowledge for research end-users, including planning practitioners and the community. Focused on fostering more resilient and liveable cities, my research findings directly inform planning practice and policymaking initiatives, thereby enhancing the quality of life for individuals and communities. My research also extends to enhancing planning policies by critically analysing existing frameworks, particularly in areas like housing and liveable/resilient planning, on both national and international scales. Moreover, through rigorous exploratory research, such as examining issues like informal housing, and active engagement with end-users, including collecting data from older individuals and other vulnerable community members, my work illuminates real-world planning challenges and provides actionable insights to address societal needs.
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Works
Search Professor Sara Alidoust’s works on UQ eSpace
All (35) Journal Article (22) Other Outputs (6) Conference Publication (2) Book Chapter (5)
2026
Journal Article
Exploring the role of third places in shaping health and wellbeing: a qualitative study with older adults
Alidoust, Sara, Kirkegaard, Amy, Hennessey, Emma and Ball, Lauren (2026). Exploring the role of third places in shaping health and wellbeing: a qualitative study with older adults. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 37 (1) e70128, 1-8. doi: 10.1002/hpja.70128
2025
Journal Article
Ungating China: a discourse analysis of public resistance and policy re-evaluation
Liu, Xuanbo, Alidoust, Sara and Pojani, Dorina (2025). Ungating China: a discourse analysis of public resistance and policy re-evaluation. Urban Policy and Research, 43 (3), 228-244. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2025.2517556
Ungating China: a discourse analysis of public resistance and policy re-evaluation
2025
Other Outputs
Brisbane Australia 2024: policy indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report
Alidoust, Sara (2025). Brisbane Australia 2024: policy indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report. St. Louis, MO USA: Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28521167
2025
Other Outputs
Brisbane Australia 2024: spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report
Alidoust, Sara, Chen, Ruoyu and Higgs, Carl (2025). Brisbane Australia 2024: spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report. St. Louis, MO USA: Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28521200
2025
Other Outputs
Brisbane Australia 2024: policy and spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report
Alidoust, Sara, Chen, Ruoyu and Higgs, Carl (2025). Brisbane Australia 2024: policy and spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities—1000 Cities Challenge report. St. Louis, MO USA: Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28520984
2025
Journal Article
Planning for livable compact vertical cities: A quantitative systematic review of the impact of urban geometry on thermal and visual comfort in high-rise precincts
Caswell, Helen, Alidoust, Sara and Corcoran, Jonathan (2025). Planning for livable compact vertical cities: A quantitative systematic review of the impact of urban geometry on thermal and visual comfort in high-rise precincts. Sustainable Cities and Society, 119 106007, 106007-119. doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2024.106007
2024
Journal Article
Sustaining a resilient housing system in southeast Queensland
Alidoust, Sara, Wyeth, Stephanie, Reddel, Tim, Cornish, Gillian, Lata, Lutfun Nahar, Johnson, Laurel and Shaweesh, Maram (2024). Sustaining a resilient housing system in southeast Queensland. Australian Planner, 60 (2), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/07293682.2024.2309352
Sustaining a resilient housing system in southeast Queensland
2024
Journal Article
Older people, house-sitting and ethics of care
Alidoust, Sara (2024). Older people, house-sitting and ethics of care. International Journal of Housing Policy, 24 (2), 191-210. doi: 10.1080/19491247.2022.2097853
Older people, house-sitting and ethics of care
2023
Journal Article
Sustained liveable cities: the interface of liveability and resiliency
Alidoust, Sara (2023). Sustained liveable cities: the interface of liveability and resiliency. Cities and Health, 8 (6), 1108-1119. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2023.2260132
Sustained liveable cities: the interface of liveability and resiliency
2023
Book Chapter
Mapping urban transport - land use interactions worldwide, a state of practice
Khalaj, Fahimeh, Alidoust, Sara and Pojani, Dorina (2023). Mapping urban transport - land use interactions worldwide, a state of practice. Handbook on transport and land use. (pp. 147-166) edited by João de Abreu e Silva, Kristina Currans, Veronique Van Acker and Robert Schneider. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800370258.00015
Mapping urban transport - land use interactions worldwide, a state of practice
2022
Book Chapter
Smart densification
Ahmad, Mubeen, Darchen, Sebastien, Alidoust, Sara and Sipe, Neil (2022). Smart densification. The Palgrave encyclopedia of urban and regional futures. (pp. 1520-1528) edited by Robert C. Brears. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-87745-3_278
2022
Journal Article
A systematic review of planning policies for community wellbeing
Alidoust, Sara, Gleeson, Nikita and Khalaj, Fahimeh (2022). A systematic review of planning policies for community wellbeing. Journal of Urbanism, 17 (4), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/17549175.2022.2071971
A systematic review of planning policies for community wellbeing
2022
Journal Article
Master planned communities for healthy living: a systematic literature review
Alidoust, Sara and Huang, Wei (2022). Master planned communities for healthy living: a systematic literature review. Urban Policy and Research, 40 (2), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2022.2057945
Master planned communities for healthy living: a systematic literature review
2022
Other Outputs
‘Where would we live otherwise?’: the rise of house-sitting among older Australians
Alidoust, Sara (2022, 02 18). ‘Where would we live otherwise?’: the rise of house-sitting among older Australians The Conversation
‘Where would we live otherwise?’: the rise of house-sitting among older Australians
2022
Book Chapter
Planning Healthy and Livable Cities
Alidoust, Sara (2022). Planning Healthy and Livable Cities. The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures. (pp. 1-5) Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-51812-7_277-1
Planning Healthy and Livable Cities
2021
Journal Article
An exploratory study of house-sitting and ‘home’-making among older people
Alidoust, Sara and Khalaj, Fahimeh (2021). An exploratory study of house-sitting and ‘home’-making among older people. Australian Geographer, 52 (4), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/00049182.2021.1999612
An exploratory study of house-sitting and ‘home’-making among older people
2021
Journal Article
A decade of research on housing and health: a systematic literature review
Alidoust, Sara and Huang, Wei (2021). A decade of research on housing and health: a systematic literature review. Reviews on Environmental Health, 45-64. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2021-0121
A decade of research on housing and health: a systematic literature review
2021
Journal Article
Lest we forget: media predictions of a post-Covid-19 urban future
Pojani, Dorina and Alidoust, Sara (2021). Lest we forget: media predictions of a post-Covid-19 urban future. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 16 (2), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/17549175.2021.1944283
Lest we forget: media predictions of a post-Covid-19 urban future
2021
Book Chapter
Planning Active Travel and School Transport
Fahimeh Khalaj, Pojani, Dorina and Alidoust, Sara (2021). Planning Active Travel and School Transport. International Encyclopedia of Transportation. (pp. 432-436) Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-08-102671-7.10792-4
Planning Active Travel and School Transport
2020
Other Outputs
Case studies: housing initiatives in Queensland
Bruhn, Cameron and Alidoust, Sara (2020). Case studies: housing initiatives in Queensland. Architecture Australia, 109 (5), 63-71.
Case studies: housing initiatives in Queensland
Supervision
Availability
Dr Sara Alidoust is: : Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
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Planning Healthy Cities
Associations between urban planning and physical, mental and social health. Some topics include: 1. The role of built environment and planning policies in physical activity, active transport, healthy behaviours. 2. Urban planning impacts on social capital and community cohesion. 3. Planning policies and built environmental design for mental health. 4. Urban Green space and community health.
Read more Read less - #### Housing Planning and Policy
Some topics include: 1. Informal housing in the Global North. 2. Informal housing and the ageing population. 3. Health impacts of informal housing. 4. Resilient housing systems. 5. Systems thinking and housing policies.
Read more Read less - #### Climate Change and Community Health
Health impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, including older people. Some topics include: 1. Green infrastructure and community health. 2. Integrated policy frameworks for sustainable, healthy and resilient cities. 3. Urban heat stress and community health.
Read more Read less - #### Planning Age-friendly Cities
Planning age-friendly cities for older people to live an active life and stay engaged in the community. Some topics include: 1. Planning policies for developing age-friendly cities. 2. Emerging housing models and lifestyles for older people, e.g. house-sitting, co-living. 3. Neighbourhood planning for healthy ageing. 4. Master planned communities and community development for an ageing population.
Read more Read less - #### Urban Planning for Social Sustainability
Some topics include: 1. Developing evaluation frameworks for social sustainability. 2. Developing evaluation frameworks for community wellbeing. 3. Community engagement in planning policy.
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View all 5 available projects View less
Supervision history
Current supervision
- Doctor Philosophy
##### Of Cost and Consequence: How Cost-Based Decision-Making Shapes the Design Ambitions of Residential Development
Principal Advisor - Doctor Philosophy
##### Planning for health and wellbeing in high-rise precincts: Understanding the role of 'breathing space'
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jonathan Corcoran - Doctor Philosophy
##### Reconstructing A Gender Perspective Approach for a Sustainable New Capital City
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani - Doctor Philosophy
##### Active transport and gender issues: A comparison between Brisbane and Sylhet
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani - Doctor Philosophy
##### Valuing environmental sustainability in the built environment sector, focusing on housing in Southeast Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Paul Matthew, Dr Ray Maher - Doctor Philosophy
##### Developing a climate-resilient framework for healthy cities
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ray Maher, Associate Professor Paola Leardini, Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi - Doctor Philosophy
##### Housing as a feminist issue: The case of Kuching, Sarawak
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani - Doctor Philosophy
##### Hem Urban Villages in Ho Chi Minh City: A Model for Community-Driven Urbanism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Silvia Micheli
View all 8 current supervisions View less
Completed supervision
- 2026
Doctor Philosophy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani, Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi - 2026
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorina Pojani - 2024
Doctor Philosophy
##### Bridging Theory and Practice: An Integrated Approach to Urban Growth Management
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Neil Sipe, Dr Sebastien Darchen - 2022
Doctor Philosophy
##### Restoring the natural water cycle in cities: an urban design framework
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Steven Kenway, Associate Professor Paola Leardini
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Sara Alidoust directly for media enquiries about:
- Community Engagement in Planning and Policy Making
- Master Planned Community Developments
- Neighbourhood Planning and Loneliness
- Planning Age Friendly Cities
- Planning Healthy Cities
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External profiles
Social media
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